Interfitting door latch



June 8, AFL, CARRY INTERFITTING' DOOR LATCH Filed March 3, 1953 I N VEN TOR. 9 ferarzarl. Qnw

ATTU RN EYS Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERFITTING DOOR LATCH Alexander Leo Carry, Mineral Wells, Tex.

Application March 3, 1953, Serial No. 340,114

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to safety devices for preventing doors of motor vehicles opening accidently, and in particular a hand lever actuated lock in which a key on a lock bolt passes through a spiral groove in locking the door and is not adapted to be withdrawn until the lock bolt is rotated to such a position that the key registers with the inner end of the groove.

The purpose of this invention is to prevent accidental opening of motor vehicle doors particularly where the vehicle is engaged in a, collision or the like.

It is generally known that a large percentage of injuries of persons traveling in motor vehicles result from doors opening accidently as the result of a sudden jar or where the associated parts of the door are sprung. In the conventional type of door lock the latch readily releases permitting the door to open. With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a door locking device wherein the end of a lock bolt extends through a latching element and in which a key on the end of the bolt, which passes through a spiral slot in the latching element in closing the door, must register with the inner end of the groove before it is possible to open the door.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide positive means for looking a vehicle door in the closed position whereby it is necessary to manually actuate the look before it is possible to open the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a life saving door lock for motor vehicles that may be incorporated in vehicles without changing the general design or arrangement of the vehicles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety door lock for motor vehicles in which the lock is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a bolt receiving hub secured to a surface of a door jamb or stationary part in the wall of a motor vehicle and a spring actuated bolt with a hand lever on the outer end and with a key on the inner end positioned to travel through a spiral slot in the hub whereby upon release of the door handle or hand lever in closing a door a spring on the bolt actuates the key to a position at one side of the end of the groove whereby the parts are locked until the key is actuated by the hand lever to place it in registry with the end of the groove.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 3 is also a detail showing a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2 illustrating the relative positions of the key receiving grooves.

Figure 4 is a view showing a section through the bolt receiving hub showing the spiral groove in the inner surface of a bore thereof.

Figure 5 is a detail showing the end of the lock bolt and showing the position of the key thereon.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the improved motor vehicle door lock of this invention includes a lock bolt It having a key M on the inner end and a hand lever [2 on the outer end, a hub l3 having a spiral groove I4 therein, and a spring l5 for rotating the lock bolt to such a position that the key ll travels to one side of the inner end of the groove it upon release of the hand lever [2.

In installing the look, a door of the vehicle, as indicated by the numeral [6 is provided with a recess I? that is positioned to receive the hub 13 whereby with the hub mounted on the door jamb or part of the vehicle, as indicated by the numeral IS the hub will nest in the recess Ii,

as shown in Fig. 1.

The hub 13 is provided with extended flanges i9 and 20 through which screws 21 secure the hub to the frame of the vehicle, the screws being threaded into lugs or nuts 22 positioned against the inner surface of a Wall 23 of the frame or jamb.

The hub I3 is provided with a bore 24 in which the spiral groove Ii is positioned and a counterbore 25 at one end of the bore provides a recess in which the key l 1 travels as the bolt It is rotated by the spring 15 to move the key to a position out of registry with the end of the groove.

The lock bolt it is journaled in a bearing 2% that is secured in position in the edge of the door with screws 2'1 that are threaded into theends of the bearings.

One end 28, of the spring i5 is secured in an opening 29 in the bearing 26 and the opposite end 30 is secured in an opening 3! in the bolt It. With the spring mounted in this manner the lock 3 bolt will be rotated by the spring in a counterclockwise direction upon release of the handle 12 whereby the key .II will move from the inner end of the groove or slot 14 to a position at one side of the slot, as shown in Fig. 1.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 the groove 14 may be provided with a notch in one side, as indicated by the numeral 32 so that should the door he only partly closed the spring will move the key H into the notch to prevent opening thereof.

In this design the door i6 is provided with an extended flange 33 and an elastic strip or bumper 34 may be provided in a recess 35 whereby the flange 33 engages the bumper as the door closes.

With the parts arranged in this manner the key H passes through the slot I4 as the door closes and when the door arrives at the closed position the spring i rotates the lock bolt Ni until the key H is positioned at one side of the groove l4 and with the lock bolt secured in this manner a shock or other condition resulting from a wreck or collision will not spring the door to an open position.

A stop 38 may be provided in the counterbore 25 to limit the movement of the key H and lock bolt whereby the handle or hand lever will stop in the same position each time it is released. The stop member 36 is actually a lug in the recess 25 and is offset irom the end of the spiral groove.

It will be understood that modifications, within the scope of the appended claim, may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a look, a cylindrical bolt having a key on Number the cylindrical surface thereof contiguous to one end, a hand lever on its other end, a hub having a cylindrical opening therein and provided with a spiral groove in the cylindrical wall of said opening and extending from one end of the opening to the other, said cylindrical opening and spiral groove being adapted to snugly receive said cylindrical bolt and key, a spring circumposed on said bolt for rotating the bolt upon release of the hand lever to a position in which the key registers with a first end of said groove when the bolt is in axial alignment with the keeper opening, said hub being provided with a pair of opposed coplanar mounting flanges, said hub being provided with an enlarged recess at the other end of said groove for receiving said key and permitting said bolt to rotate to a position in which said key is not in alignment with the adjacent end of said groove, a bearing supporting said bolt in a first opening and provided with a second opening, said spring having one end secured in said second opening in said bearing and its opposite end secured. in an opening in said bolt, said spiral groove having a widened portion providing a shoulder intermediate said ends of said groove, said shoulder being offset in the direction in which the key is rotatably biased by said spring, and a stop member offset from said other end of the groove and positioned in said recess for limiting rotative movement of said key and bolt.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date 931,032 France Feb. 11, 19 i8 

